Apps for business travelers

Here are five mobile apps for your smartphone or tablet that will help make any work trip more productive:

1. TripIt

Travel usually involves bookings for flights, accommodation and rental cars. Add to that scheduled meetings, dinners, directions to the hotel and you end up with a lot of information, often in separate emails. TripIt puts all that together into one itinerary. You simply email TripIt your confirmation emails and it automatically compiles it for you. The basic version is free, while the paid one includes mobile alerts, complimentary memberships and the ability to share your itinerary with others. Travel managers can also use TripIt Teams to build itineraries on behalf of their staff.

2. XE currency

How do you know if two million Vietnamese dong is too much to pay for a soft drink? This app converts about 180 global currencies using the real-time rates. And when you are stuck on a 14-hour flight from Sydney to Los Angeles and want to know how that acquisition looks in Australian dollars, the app uses the last downloaded figures to make the conversion offline. And yes, two million dong is quite a pricey drink at a tick over $100 Australian dollars.

3. Dropbox

This online storage app allows you to share presentations, reports and minutes of business meetings quickly and easily when you are on the go. Simply upload the file and those back in the office or at home are able to download it via PC, laptop, tablet or smartphone. The app also allows users to put files in their favourites list for offline viewing.

4. Smart Office

This app is perfect when inspiration strikes just before an important presentation, requiring a last-minute change to a PowerPoint slide. The Smart Office app allows you to edit PowerPoint, Word, Excel and PDF files on the go and also connects to storage services such as Dropbox and Google Docs.

5. WhatsApp

The popular instant messenger program allows you to send text messages to other mobile phone users via both Wi-Fi and a cellular network. Texting over Wi-Fi is a big cost-saver when overseas. The app, developed by two former Yahoo! Employees, includes nifty features such as group chats, location and contact sharing and the ability to send and receive pictures and audio notes.

Remember, overseas data charges can result in astronomical phone bills back at home, so take care and try to use free wi-fi or buy a local sim card.